Pin clamp for pin setting apparatus



Nov. 24, 1931. J. c. BACKUS PIN CLAMP FOR PIN SETTING APPARATUS FiledMarch 27, 1928 $1 7 a H. MM

attorney Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNI ED STATES PATENT; orrlcs I BACKUB,OF SWOBT, PENNSYLVANIA; HAMLIN BANK 'lB-US'I' COMPANY AND THE!) BIEVEB,0] 51171332031, ,PENNSYLVAHIA, EZECUTOBS OI sun Joan cums nexus,jimcmsnn rm chm :03 Pm smme AI'I'ABATUS Application fled latch 27, 1928.Serial Ito. 285,174.

This invention relates to apparatus for set tin and spotting the pins ofbowling alleys, an particularly to certain improvements upon the pinclamping mechanism shown in my'a plication for patent Senal #122,434,-

filed uly 14, 1926, on pin setting apparatus. .In the pin settingapparatus shown in this rior application for patent, and particularyshown in Figures 3 and 6 thereof, there are provided a plurality ofpairs of pln clamps which depend from certain pin stops and which arecurved to conform to the shape of the basal portions of the pins sothatwhen the pins are uprighted they will seat within said pin clamps,these pin clamps being hinged to a supporting frame and depending belowthe supporting frame.

' In the operation of the mechanism shown in my prior application abovereferred to,

" these pin clamps are gradually released when the lower ends of thepins are disposed in a very slightly spaced relation from the floor sothat the pins will settle very gradually downward and come to restwithout ar or noise upon the alley bed. 'The pin carrier which supportsthe clamps is then hoisted into position above the alley and out of theway of lav.

p l he pin clamps as illustrated in my prior a ,plication have thisobjection, that they are ll l zely to hit or contact with dead wood,that is, a pin which has been knocked down and which may haveaccidentally rolled into position beneath the descending clamp, and thiscauses the pin clamp to be shoved up through the frame two or threeinches before the pin clamping mechanism starts to close. The object ofthe present invention is to so connect the pin clamping members to thesupporting frame thereof that if by chance they should strike any deadwood on the alley bed, they will move upward independently of the frameor any other part of the carrier and will become disengaged from theframe, thus preventing the pin clamp from being damaged.

' 'A further object is to provide pin clamps of the characterillustrated in my prior application detachably engaged with the sup;

porting frame so that they can be packed sep arately for shipment andthen after the pin setting mechanlsm is erected, the clamps may bereadlly engaged therewith and hooked into place in an instant.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein F gure1 1s a fragmentary top plan view of a pm setting mechanism constructedin accordance with my invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sec- In the drawings, I haveillustrated so much of the pin setting mechanism of my prior appllcationas is necessary for an understanding of the present invention, it beingunder- 'stood that have not attempted to illustrate the complete pinsetting mechanism but only Zuch part of it as relates to the presentinven- 1on'. In the drawings, 12 designates a pin carrier which consistsofa frame approximately triangular in form and including oppositelyinclined side members 13. A plurality of parallel cross members 14connect the side members13, and a plurality of longitudinal bars 15aredisposed between the side members 13 of the frame. These bars arelocated in the plane of the members 13 and constitute a part of thecarrier frame and provide supporting means for the pin shifter andcoordinate parts. Pin stops and guides 16 of sheet metal are attached tothe longitudinal bars 15 and are arranged to coincide with the -positionof the pins when properly set upon the alley. These guides and stops arepreferably of sheet metal and they are approximately circular in plan toconform to the major diameter of the pins and to permit the pins tofreely pass therethrou h when the pins are discharged upon the al ey.

The pin sto s and guides do not extend around through a complete circlebut are cut away at the rear to provide clearance for the pins wheninitially placed u on the carrier, as shown in dotted hnes in Figure 2,and the ins move from the recumbent position shown in dotted lines to anuprighted or vertical position under. the action of a plurality of pin uri hting members, designated generally 1 t ese being mounted upontransverse shafts 18. These shafts are actuated automatically, as fullydescribed in the specifica-' tion of my prior application, when thecarrier has descended to a predetermined distance from the bed of thealley.

Associated with each of the pin stops and guides 16 are a pair of pinclamps 19 and the clamps of each pair are disposed at opposite sides ofthe respective pin stops 14 and are operatively hinged either to thestops 16, as shown in Figure 3, or to the longitudinally extending bars15, as in Figure 6. The clamps 19 are curved transversely to conform tothe diameter of the pins so as to grip the sides thereof to insure aproper s otting of the pins when discharged upon t e alley. The clampsare also so formed that when the clamps are dependin freely, they aredownwardly and outward y inclined from a perpendicular plane. Theseclamps are preferably formed of sheet metal.

For the purpose of hingedly supporting the clamps so that the clamps ofeach pair may swing inward against the pin to be su ported or swingoutward so as to entirely ree the pin and allow it to descend upon thealley bed, I form each of the clamps 19 with an upwardly extendingtongue 20 which is bent outward and downward to form a hook 21.

In Figure 4, I have illustrated the pin stop and guide 16 as extendingdownward slightly below the longitudinal bar 15, and immediately belowthis bar 15 the pin stop or guide is formed with pivotally disposedapertures 22 through which the hooks 21 pass and thus the clamps 19 areswingingly supported for movement toward or from the pin. The bill ofthe hook 21, it will be noted, extends straight downward and outward sothat if by chance the clamp 19 be lifted upward, as by contact with deadwood, that is, a pin accidentally lying upon the alley bed, the clampwill move upward through the vertically' elongated opening 22 and theinclined bill, contactingwith the member 1a and the upper edge of theopening 22, will move upward and inward until, if the lift given to theclamp be sufficient, the hook 21 will become entirely detached fromwithin the opening 22 and the clamp will be entirely freed from itsengagement with the pin stop and guide 19.

While preferably I extend the pin stop or guide 19 below the bar 15 andfrom the aperture 22 in this in stop or guide, yet in Figure 6 I have ilustrated a member 23 as being attached to the under face of the bar 15and as having therein the openin 22, and haveillustrated the lowerportion 0 the pin stop and guide as bein cut away at 24 to accommodatethis member 23. It will be obvious that the same operation is providedfor in this construction as in the construction previously described,that when the clam strikes any object as, for instance, dea wood, theclamp will lift and the inclined face of the bill of book 21 will causethe hook to move upwardly and laterally out of engagement with thesupporting member 23 and the clam will become entirely detached from therame member or bar 15.

This construction will prevent the clamp from being damaged uponstriking any dead wood. Furthermore, the clamps can be readily separatedfrom the pin setting mechanism proper, that is, the supporting frame ofthe carrier and packed separately for shipment and then after the pinsetter has been erected, the hooks of the clamps may drop down throughthe frame and be hooked into place through the apertures 22 in aninstant.

I have not illustrated all of the operating mechanism for the clampswhich causes these clamps to automatically close inward to receive a pinand. automatically open to permit the pin to descend through theclamps,'but the operating means for these clamps consists oflongitudinally extending frame bars 25 which are longitudinally movableupon the carrier and, as illustrated in Figure 5, are provided withrollers 26 for contacting with the clamps and, by riding against thecurved faces of the clamps, causing the clamps to close. Just rearwardof the roller 26, the frame bars 25 are cut away, as at 27, so that asthe frame bars 25 move rearward, as in Figure 5, the rollers 26 willengage the clamps to shift them inward against the pins A, but that whenthe frame bars 25 move forward under the action of a spring 28, theclamps will swing outward and open up and permit the descent of thepins. Theautomatic action of the pin setting apparatus which causes themovement of the pin uprighting members and of the clamp actuating bars25 is fully set forth and described in my prior application and hencerequires no description here.

One of the advantageous features of this case, the pin boy can reachdown through the pin hole, lift out the damaged clamp, and

drop in a new one so quickly that there will be no stoppingof the gameand no interference with the bowlers. On all other pin setters known tome, to change a pin setting device it is necessary to crawl under themachine and go through a more or less time-consuming process, therebydelayin the game to the movable pin carrier, pin guidesand stops mountedupon the carrier, a pair of clam s disposed beneath each sto forreceiving t e butt ends of the ins, an means detachably connecting each0 amp to the carrier comprising a member having a vertically elongatedopening, and a hook mounted upon the upper end of each clamp, the billof the hook ex-- tending downwardly and laterally through said openingwhereby to permit the clamp to move upward inde endently of the carrierwhen the clamp stri es an obstruction and to be detached from thesupporting member upon a further upward movement of the clamp.

3. In a pin setting apparatus, a-vertically movable pln carrier, a pinstop thereon artially circular in plan view, the side wal of the pinstop being formed with openings, and pin clamps disposed below the pmsto each clamp havin at its u per end a hook ibrmed with a latera ly anddownwardly rojecting bill extending through one of saiifopenin andadapted to engage the upper wall of said opening whereby if the clampstrikes an obstruction upon the downward movement of the carrier it willrise relative to the carrier and become detached therefrom.

4. In a pin setting apparatus, a vertically movable pin carrier, pinclamps depending from the carrier, and separable means operable bypressure in the line of movement of the carrier for detachablysupporting the clamps from the carrier.

5. In a pin setting apparatus, a movable pin carrier through which thepins are adapted to pass, pin clamps below the carrier in the path ofmovement of the pins, pivots on the carrier for the pin clamps, hookshaving inclined rear surfaces on the pin clam engaging the pivots on thecarrier so that the inclined rear surfaces of the hooks are beyond theplane of the pivots, whereby pressure upon the pin carriers from belowwill raise t e pin clamps from off their pivots.

6. In a pin setting apparatus, a vertically movable pm carrier, stopsfor the pins mounted on the pin carrier, pivots carried by the pincarrier, pin clamps, and open hooks havmg inclined u per surfacescarried by'the pin clamps an engaging over the pivots of the carrier,whereby pressure from below upon the pin clamps will lift the same fromall their ivots.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN CLAYTON BACKUS.

